Statement

What makes for great expressions? Happy kids! So how is happiness defined around the world?

Many studies have been written about kids’ happiness. According to the UNICEF most recent survey, Dutch kids ranked as the happiest kids in the world. The research is based on material well-being, education well-being, behavior and risks. As a no surprise it also shows that the happiness of the parents contributes greatly to the result.

I wanted to experiment myself how you can capture “great expressions” from kids around the world. At first it was a random approach, watching the kids interact with each other. Then, I started to think about scenarios where the behavior could be compared. Each scene became repeatable (to a certain extent), where the kids would be “portrayed first in a formal pose” and then let loose so they could express themselves.

The first part of this project is based in Asia. I visited many classrooms, playgrounds, “homeschools” and even took advantage of school trips. Teachers, parents, school superintendents were all very helpful to give me “free reign”.

The living and educational environment might not be ideal, but I found one common trend: The kids’ excitement to be part of this project is contagious.